NFS Heat

NFS Heat is the most recent Need For Speed game, and has you joining a race crew attempting to get recognized.  Racing in the day earn you money without the fear of police chase, racing at night earns you reputation and increases the available upgrade parts you can purchase.

I haven't played a racing game, let alone one to completion, in a long while it seems.  I had forgotten the joy and adrenaline rush of a perfect maneuver, or drifting around a long corner narrowly avoiding cars.  Need For Speed has always had that enjoyable "running from the police" excitement, but I found myself missing the obstacles that would impede the cops (running under the scaffolding of a billboard to make it fall, jumping over some obstacle, etc.) -- it seemed these kept pretty tight to me unless I destroyed them in some way or went in a non-conventional area where they couldn't keep up, like down railroad train tracks or taking the quick way down a twisty road.

I do think I'm done with racing games for another long while though unless there is something special to it.